Entirely Too Much Fun With Research

 


My apologies for the long hiatus, once again. In addition to finishing the usual round of line-edit + copy-edit on the next Hollywood book, Saving Susy Sweetchild, a lot of things to do: minor health fixes, the Gallifrey One convention, and the Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Book Collectors Show (and a couple of truly lovely evenings with friends).

The Paperback Show is always entertaining. In addition to a staggering number of old paperbacks - many of which I remember reading in the '60s (there was a bookstore on Holt Blvd in Pomona that I'd bike down to on Saturdays: we referred to it as "Dirty Earl's" because of the goods on offer in the store's back room) - there are dealers specializing in the cover-art of the 1940s-1970s era. And, the show (and especially Tom Lesser - Thank you, Tom!) makes sure it has a day-long rotation of authors to sign those paperbacks.

In addition to chats with fan and writer friends, I found such things as English translations of three of the Asterix le Gaulois comics that I didn't have (I have been a tremendous fan of Asterix since I first encountered them when in college in France in the early '70s), and a Japanese edition of some of H.P. Lovecraft's tales. (I can't read it now, but I'll get there!)

The big find was a small, fragile volume that I'm pretty sure was pre-WW-1, but in excellent shape considering: a guidebook to every Metro station, bus stop, and bus ROUTE in Paris, complete with guides to finding any address in the city or its suburbs. I've written a number of stories that take place in Paris at various historical eras, so I was beyond delighted. I LOVE finding things like that.

And, another research find. Last night at dinner with Harry and Laura Turtledove, the talk turned to research (as it often does; they're both as serious research-geeks as I am), and I mentioned reading portions of the Elucidarium of Honorius of Autun (in Latin) while researching my Master's thesis on Hell visions. (I will talk about Hell visions in another post). The Elucidarium is a medieval book of what ordinary people believed - not theological Christianity, but popular Christianity. (Like the notion that the Saved in Heaven are entertained by watching the sufferings of the Damned in Hell, presumably on closed-circuit TV). At that time (1973) there was no English translation, so I was slogging through that volume of the Patrilogia Latina with a dictionary; and I considered, if I went on for my PhD, the possibility of translating the Elucidarium into English as my thesis.

The PhD didn't happen, but I have been on the lookout for an English translation ever since. Harry checked his iPad and said, Nope, there were German translations, but nothing published in English. But this morning I thought about it, and did some deeper digging on the Internet (when I should have been working), and discovered that Yes, a fellow named Clifford Sorensen at BYU had done exactly that: translated it (and annotated it!) for his PhD thesis in 1979 (with special thanks to his lovely wife who had typed all 235 pages of it). It was never published, (and thus was under Harry's radar last night) but I was able to download it.

I understand that nobody but dust-dry research geeks like me, Harry, Harry's lovely wife Laura, and another of my friends would think this is cool. But we're absolutely tickled.

Research is a wonderful thing. Thank you to the Sorensens back in 1979! Thank you to Brigham Young University!

And having had that little break, I can now get started on the next Benjamin January mystery. Many thanks to all for your patience.

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